Tips for longer streaks

A few habits that make a long run of words much more likely.

1. 1

   Start with common letters

   The most common letters in English answers are E, A, R, T and O. A starting word such as STARE, AROSE or SLATE tests several of them at once.

2. 2

   Use your second guess to explore

   If your first guess found little, try five new letters next, even with a word that can't be the answer. Learning which letters are out is often worth more than a lucky guess.

3. 3

   Move your yellow letters

   A yellow letter is in the word, but not where you put it. Try it in a new position next time, so every guess tells you something new.

4. 4

   Remember letters can repeat

   Words like SPEED, LEVEL or ARRAY use a letter twice. If you're stuck with few letters left, consider a double.

5. 5

   Think about common endings

   Many English answers end in -ER, -CH or -LY. Once you have the start of a word, these are good bets for the rest.

6. 6

   Use your bonus wisely

   You can carry at most 3 bonus guesses. With 3 banked, a word starts with 9 guesses, and solving it in 6 or fewer still leaves you 3. So there's no need to rush a risky guess: a safe one keeps your bank full.

7. 7

   Watch the keyboard

   The keyboard shows the best result for each letter so far. Grey keys are out, so avoid them unless you're deliberately exploring.

8. 8

   Take your time

   There's no timer, and your game is saved. If you're stuck, come back later with fresh eyes.

9. 9

   Struggling with the colours?

   Turn on high-contrast mode with the contrast button at the top right. It uses orange and blue, and adds a check mark and dot to the tiles.